Office-holding Conservative politicians and operatives of their well-funded Astro-Turf and think tank support network across Canada have now virtually to a man and woman jumped aboard Ontario Conservative Premier Doug Ford’s runaway constitutional train, defending his use of Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ override clause to gerrymander electoral districts in
Continue readingTag: Ontario politics
Alberta Politics: The Dougtatorship notwithstanding, what have you got to fear, Mr. Scheer?
What have you got to fear, Andrew Scheer? Is there a single office-holding Conservative in this country who is willing to stand up for the fundamental rights of Canadians as they are assaulted by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his unrestrained Dougtatorship? What an opportunity this could have been for
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Flawed Ford Logic On NWS Clause
Of all the scenarios out there where I’d envision a provincial government in Ontario invoking or trying to invoke Section 33 of the Charter (the “notwithstanding clause”) to override court decisions based on the Charter… a situation involving a BIll that shrinks municipal government in Toronto wasnt in my top
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The era of Notwithstanding Clause restraint is over … get used to it!
The era of Notwithstanding Clause restraint is over. Get used to it. To borrow someone else’s felicitous metaphor, Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was always an unexploded bomb lurking in the rubble of our country’s constitutional history like a decaying munition under the modern-day pavements
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: This Says It All
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Continue readingAlberta Politics: Notwithstanding common sense, no one should be surprised by Doug Ford’s use of Section 33 to shore up his lousy law
No one should be astonished Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to use the Canadian Constitution’s Notwithstanding Clause to wiggle out of a judge’s scathing ruling declaring his hurried and sloppy legislation to cut Toronto City Council from 47 to 25 members to be unconstitutional. Mr. Ford and a lot of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Doomsayers, Chicken Littles and Conservatives get it wrong on the impact of minimum wage increases
Now there’s a surprise! Ontario’s minimum wage increase behaved exactly as predicted by most mainstream economists. That is, the 21-per-cent wage increase implemented by the former Liberal government that took effect on Jan. 1 this year did none of the terrible things Conservative politicians, right-wing think tankers, Astro-Turf “tax watchdog”
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Playing To The Lowest Common Denominator
…looks like this: Recommend this Post
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Surely it’s time for us in the reality based community to act on our convictions as decisively as conservatives do
Surely it’s time for the reality based community – that’s us, my progressive friends – to start making some new democratic realities! In 2015, as you will recall, many of us overcame our reservations and voted for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals on the basis of his firm, clear, unequivocal promise to
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Kheiriddin: Doug Ford’s Attack On Toronto Is About Defeating The Left
Conservative political pundit and talk show host Tasha Kheiriddin stated in a CBC social media live chat this evening, that she believes the move by Premier Doug Ford to reduce Toronto City Council and interference in several municipal elections has less to do with saving money and fixing government,
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Doug Ford’s Plan To Fix Government – Kill Democracy
Doug Ford stood in front of cameras today, and used language I thought I would never see in Canada. Ford suggested that less democratic representation is needed to fix regional and municipal governments and save tax payers money. The problem with politicians – Ford stated – was that the more
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Saskatchewan, Ontario have no constitutional case against Ottawa’s carbon tax, only a political strategy
By vowing to go to court to fight the federal government’s carbon tax, Saskatchewan and now Ontario are rejecting the most cost effective way to reduce carbon pollution, the Pembina Institute complained yesterday. “It is deeply irresponsible of the Saskatchewan and Ontario governments to reject carbon pricing,” said Isabelle Turcotte,
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Doug Ford & The Ontario PC Govt hates a carbon tax? Propose a climate change plan
So Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips met with Canadian Environment Minister Catherine Mckenna. Minister Phillips was rather defiant in his tweet about never accepting Canada’s carbon tax put on the province, while Minister Mckenna was much more diplomatic. The bottom line is: Ontario had a cap and trade plan in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Feeling Like An American
Now that Ontario is in the thrall of Doug Ford and his Regressive Conservative Party, I am beginning to understand how sane and balanced Americans must feel having an obscene fool as their national leader. It makes everyone look bad. While Ford and his merry band of obsequious MPPs secured
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ford Government Downloads Resettlement of Asylum Seekers To Municipalities
The Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa MacLeod told her federal counterparts last night that the province is withdrawing support for the resettlement of migrants entering into Canada from the US. The Ford Government instead is insisting that municipalities deal with the crisis. The federal government has
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Cuts Are Coming To Social Services in Ontario
Newly Elected Premier Doug Ford said during the election campaign that caregivers and parents with children with disabilities would never have to march on Queen’s Park again if he was elected Premier. A new opt ed written by Stuart Trew from the Canadian Center of Policy Alternatives warns that one
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Distemper Of Our Times
For one who naturally inclines toward dark brooding, these are not good times. But then, if people follow the news and keep themselves reasonably well-informed about our headlong plunge toward environmental and climate disaster, I cannot imagine too many being in a celebratory mood. Except perhaps in Ontario, where the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Short-Term Gain For Long, Long-Term Pain
I will readily admit to readers that I am not by nature one who sees the glass as half-full; however, since the June 7th provincial election of Doug Ford, which revealed that far too many of my fellow-citizens are quite happy to enter into Faustian pacts, my natural tendency toward
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Hopes and Prayers, Ontario … Now, let’s get back to Dr. Suzuki and the U of A honorary degree …
Premier Doug Ford. You have our hopes and prayers, Ontario. Our hopes and prayers. And I’m sorry for my friends and readers in Ontario … so sorry to have gotten your hopes up by saying I thought the Ontario NDP would win. You should have known better than to listen
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Ford Nation Gets Sued by Ford Nation
The widow of PC leader Doug Ford’s brother Rob is suing Doug for $16.5 million. Doug Ford is the trustee of the estate of his late brother Rob Ford. In a statement of claim filed Friday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Renata Ford (Rob’s widow) alleges that former
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